On a sunny winter morning at Emmanuel College in the seaside town of Warrnambool in Victoria’s southwest, Principal Rachel McGennisken is chatting with a group of students outside the recently opened Edmund Rice Centre.
The building’s burgundy exterior glistens in the gentle light and lifts the spirits of those gathered out front.
“It’s such a great facility to offer our students. It’s so important to have spaces that people feel comfortable in and that enhances both learning and teaching”, says Rachel.
Opened in early 2025 and built with an $8 million loan from CDF, the $16 million Edmund Rice Centre is the final piece of the puzzle that unites the Emmanuel College community.
“The school’s been operating over two campuses for decades and it’s been the dream to bring everyone together on the one campus,” says Rachel.
Born in 1991 from the amalgamation of two established single-sex schools, St Ann’s and Christian Brothers College, Emmanuel College Warrnambool is now the largest school in the sweeping
Diocese of Ballarat which covers most of western Victoria and is a beacon for modern Catholic education for its regional community.
“Our families range from farmers, small business owners, trades people, newly arrived refugees, office professionals and everything in between. We’re committed to providing Catholic education to all regardless of ability, background, or economic status"
Rachel McGennisken, Emmanuel College Principal
Emmanuel College continued to operate across the two campuses formally occupied by the founding schools, and from 2022 commenced relocating year levels to the one site, with only Year 9 remaining at the old CBC campus until the completion of the new Edmund Rice Centre.
“It was very disjointed and while it worked, the school knew there were long term benefits for education, safety, and the community in bringing everyone together”, says Rachel.
Aware that Year 9 can be a formative year for students the college introduced the 9@RICE program in 2022 that focusses on resilience, innovation, community, and exploration, through project-based learning where students respond to complex challenges with real-world connection.
Purpose built for Year 9s and the 9@RICE program, the Edmund Rice Centre features three flexible science labs, six general-purpose classrooms, three spacious breakout learning areas, an auditorium, and an indoor hard court.
The triangular steel struts of the building’s exterior are reminiscent of a bridge and symbolic of the centre’s role in transitioning Year 9 students from junior to senior levels of the school.
“We wanted to create a space that helps us capture student’s attention and nourish their mind, body, and spirit during this important period. The facilities that our teachers have access to allows them to develop learning that really engages them”, says Rachel.
With teaching areas dedicated to Wisdom, Communication, and Exploration, the Edmund Rice Centre facilitates interdisciplinary approaches and critical thinking by enabling team teaching and collaboration.
“When students complete their 9@RICE journey, they will become full-fledged members of the senior school ready to lead their own learning and complete their secondary education in a senior school environment”, says Rachel.
Representing the largest and most extensive construction project in the college’s history, the Edmund Rice Centre was completed on time and on budget with assistance from CDF, who worked closely with the college’s Business Manager, Stephen Kerr.
“Working with CDF was just easy because they have a deep knowledge of schools and our processes and understand it’s important for us to be able to access funds when we need them"
Stephen Kerr, Emmanual College Business Manager
More than just ‘bricks and mortar’ the Edmund Rice Centre unites the Emmanuel community and facilitates the college’s mission to nourish the mind, body, and spirit of its young people while continuing the tradition of Catherine McAuley and Edmund Rice in bringing to life the Gospel values of faith, hope, and love, all on the one campus.
“Without that funding, we wouldn't have been able to realise the dream of creating the facility that enables all those things we’re striving to achieve. We couldn’t have done this project without CDF,” says Rachel.
To help CDF continue to meet strong loan demand from the Catholic community, you too can put your faith in action and save for a greater reward than money alone. Not only will you earn a competitive rate of interest, but your savings will assist schools like Emmanual College, Warrnambool, and other Catholic organisations to continue the work the Gospel calls on them to do. Learn more and apply today.
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CDPF Limited, a company established by the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, has indemnified the Catholic Development Fund ABN 15 274 943 760 (the Fund) against any liability arising out of a claim by investors in the Fund. In practice, this means your investment is backed by the assets of the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne. The Fund is required by law to make the following disclosure. Investment in the Fund is only intended to attract investors whose primary purpose for making their investment is to support the charitable purposes of the Fund. Investors’ funds will be used to generate a return to the Fund that will be applied to further the charitable works of the Archdiocese of Melbourne and the Dioceses of Sale and Bunbury. The Fund is not prudentially supervised by the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority nor has it been examined or approved by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC). An investor in the Fund will not receive the benefit of the financial claims scheme or the depositor protection provisions in the Banking Act 1959 (Cth). The investments that the Fund offers are not subject to the usual protections for investors under the Corporations Act (Cth) or regulation by ASIC. Investors may be unable to get some or all of their money back when the investor expects or at all and investments in the Fund are not comparable to investments with banks, finance companies or fund managers. The Fund’s identification statement may be viewed here or by contacting the Fund. The Fund does not hold an Australian Financial Services Licence.
